Ethnobotany

The Prickly Pear Cookbook

The Prickly Pear Cookbook is designed to teach you everything you need to know about how to pick, prepare and cook with this Central American import that has spread around the world.

The Prickly Pear Cookbook contains 60 recipes from accomplished professional chefs from New York, California, Texas, Arizona, and even a few recipes from Israel. With full-color photos of each dish, this volume shows with mouth-watering detail how each dish is presented by it's creator.

Noted ethnobotanist and writer Gary Nabhan says, "Long before others jumped on the bandwagon, Carolyn Niethammer had already established herself as the foremost historian and promoter of native foods in the Southwest and northern Mexico. This book continues her rich, informed legacy of leading desert dwellers back to the delicious,nutritious foods that grow at the very doorstep. Carri's work remains unsurpassed!"

Health BenefitsThe Prickly Pear Cookbook explains not only the joys of cooking with this cacuts, but also its remarkable health benefits. In the introduction, you will learn how medical researchers have discovered that consumption of prickly pear pads can help regulate the blood sugar of diabetics, lower cholesterol and help your body respond to physical, psychological and biological stress.

Reviews

Here are some reviews of The Prickly Pear Cookbook.

"Niethammer has collected about all the information you'll need on gathering and preparing and eating prickly pear cacti. The book is illustrated by Robin Stancliff's colorful photographs and the sum total is astonishing, provocative and appealing." - J.C. Martin, Arizona Daily Star

"Carolyn takes her readers on a trip around the world, featuring recipes for prickly pear cactus from Peru, Mexico, Israel, the Far East, the Mediterranean countries and the planet Texas. In the Prickly Pear Cookbook, you'll also find out about the latest medical research using prickly pear cactus for control of insulin levels in diabetics. There's even a recipe for El Jefe's cactus wine, which we all know is better than peanut butter. For a 15 dollar bill, you can be the envy of your jet set when you serve up Carolyn's recipes." David Eppele, Arizona Cactus and Research Center.